Milling Academy
At the heart of Bühler’s headquarters in Uzwil, Switzerland, a state-of-the-art 1,800-square-meter training center for millers has opened its doors. The Milling Academy for food and feed underscores the importance of the milling sector for Bühler, bringing together decades of expertise with the latest technology and modern teaching methods. Direct access to the Grain Innovation Center, research and training centers, and the CUBIC innovation campus enables course participants to gain unique hands-on insight into key industry areas.
Bianca Richle, June 2025
From the Customer Center, visitors walk through a green, covered courtyard to reach the new Milling Academy for food and feed. And once inside, it’s hard not to stop in awe. What awaits is a spacious, light-filled training center with inviting seating alcoves where students are hard at work. A large glass façade offers an open view into the new Grain Innovation Center, which is directly linked to the Milling Academy and also serves as a space for hands-on training. The inviting coffee corner provides a place for students from different courses to meet, exchange ideas, and build connections. Behind the modern classrooms, the machinery hall spans two floors, where experts bring theory to life through practical demonstrations. “The construction of the new Milling Academy gave us the chance to design and implement everything in a way that best supports our customer training programs,” explains Dario Grossmann, Head of the Milling Academy. “We also used this opportunity to create more hands-on learning experiences right at the machines.”
For Grossmann, didactics is a key pillar of the overall concept. “All of our instructors are experts with many years of experience, but expertise alone isn’t enough. To ensure we deliver the best possible learning experience, every one of our trainers has formal training in teaching methods, which they continuously build on and refine.”
The infrastructure and concept are excellent. The welcoming atmosphere allows you to fully immerse yourself in the world of milling during training.
Oliver Efrain Romero Lucero,
Manager of Continuous Improvement at CMI Alimentos, Guatemala
The first training sessions have already been held at the new Milling Academy, and participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “Participants tell us that the new Milling Academy has taken our training to an entirely new level of quality,” explains Grossmann.
One of the first participants was Oliver Efrain Romero Lucero, Continuous Improvement Manager at CMI Alimentos in Guatemala, one of Central America’s largest food producers, with expertise in both wheat and corn milling. “The infrastructure and overall concept are outstanding. The welcoming atmosphere allows you to fully immerse yourself in the world of milling during the training. The instructors are highly skilled and training materials are also extremely well prepared. Being located within Bühler’s innovation campus also helps deepen your understanding of the company’s diverse business and the many interconnected processes,” explains Romero.
Jan Tuborg Pedersen, Team Leader at Valsemøllen in Denmark, has also completed training at the new Milling Academy. Valsemøllen is known for its high-quality standards and over 120 years of experience milling local wheat, rye, oats, and pulses. Pedersen recently participated in an oats course and was equally impressed by the new facilities. “I really like that it’s bright and modern, with large classrooms and big screens. For me, one of the most important innovations is the addition of a showroom with all the machines we’re learning about, and you run into other students in the hallways. The direct connection between the Milling Academy and the Grain Innovation Center is incredibly useful, it gives you the freedom to move around, meet people, and ask questions wherever you go.”
All machines in the new Milling Academy are operated without product, allowing participants to observe their inner workings and even open them while running – offering insights that would not be possible during normal production. For those who want to see the equipment in action with real material, the adjoining Grain Innovation Center provides that hands-on experience. Here, participants can test and work with the machines under real processing conditions.
Grossmann emphasizes that training also continues at Bühler’s fully automated School Mill, which processes 24 tonnes per day. This facility makes it possible to conduct training on an industrial scale. Conveniently located just a short walk from the CUBIC, it allows participants to make the most of their time during training days.
The Milling Academy’s training offering also includes two state-of-the-art laboratories. One is designed specifically for analytical training, and the other provides a safe environment for electronics education and experimentation. Naturally, digital services are also a key part of the curriculum. Thanks to large interactive screens, participants can test these systems thoroughly in real time.
The Milling Academy offers a comprehensive view of the entire value chain, from raw material intake to final packaging. At the Bühler bagging station within the Academy, participants can witness flour from the trial mill in the Grain Innovation Center being packaged, bringing the process full circle.
The construction of the new Milling Academy gave us the chance to design and implement everything in a way that best supports our customer training programs.
Dario Grossmann,
Head of the Milling Academy
The new Milling Academy was designed for millers in both the food and feed industries. As part of that vision, the School of Feed Technology (SFT) has now found its new home within the Academy. “This new location is ideal for our students,” explains Lothar Driller, Head of the SFT. “The fact that they can use the machines in the Grain Innovation Center for their training sessions alongside the Milling Academy is fantastic and opens up valuable opportunities for deeper practical experience.”
The range of equipment now available for feed milling training is significantly broader, ensuring that every student can work with machines similar to those used in their own facilities. “With this new site, we’re leveraging synergies and exchanging knowledge across disciplines,” Driller explains. “Our students also benefit greatly from the proximity to other research and training centers, such as extrusion, proteins, and more.”
One student who is nearing the end of his 3-week course and who has already made use of the Milling Academy’s new offerings, is Maximilian Schrott, Master Miller and Operations Manager at Martin Schrott & Söhne, Germany, a seventh-generation family business he plans to take over from his father. With him is Julia Wicki, a miller at Wicki Mühle AG, a Swiss family business with over 100 years of tradition, and Benedikt Hitthaler, a feed miller at A. Rieper AG in South Tyrol, Italy, which is a regional leader in feed production. “Feed milling education with this level of quality and depth simply doesn’t exist in Germany, that is why I came to Switzerland,” explains Maximilian Schrott. “I’ve learned a lot of new things. The equipment is top-notch, and the instructors’ expertise is very impressive.”
According to Julia Wicki, the course is well designed. “The balance between theory and practical exercises is very well done,” she says. “I also really like the bright classrooms and the many spaces where we can break off into small groups for more focused learning. We often stay after class to continue working together.”
And Benedikt Hitthaler, who has already completed several training sessions with the SFT at its former location, is also impressed. “The new training center is larger and offers more opportunities,” he says. “Working in small groups directly on the machines is extremely valuable. I also find the close connection to innovation particularly inspiring. We often stopped by the CUBIC during lunch breaks.”
Given the shortage of skilled professionals, it is more important than ever for companies to implement a solid, holistic training strategy. On request, Bühler develops customized training programs, including on-site customer training. “We’re seeing growing demand from our customers – far more requests than ever before,” says Grossmann. “With the new Milling Academy, we are more than ready to meet this growing demand and continue providing the best training for millers in the future.”
Find out more about the training courses offered at the Milling Academy.
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
